Fully one quarter of the list members this year are newcomers, including, for the first time, two women. Three of the newcomers hail from Nigeria while two tycoons are from South Africa, including Koos Bekker, a CEO who earns no salary or bonus.
Folorunsho Alakija of Nigeria is one of the first two women members of Africa’s 40 Richest. She started as a secretary at an investment bank in the 1970s, launched a fashion label for upscale clientele in the 1980s and her Famfa Oil company was awarded an oil prospecting license in 1993. Famfa Oil owns part of the prolific deepwater Agbami field in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. Alakija’s fortune is estimated at $600 million.
O.B. Lulu-Briggs of Nigeria, with a net worth of $500 million, is one of four tycoons on the list whose fortunes lie solely in oil. His Moni Pulo Ltd. is an oil exploration and production company. Its flagship oil block produces 10,000 barrels a day.
Sani Bello of Nigeria has a fortune estimated at $425 million built on oil and telecom. His AMNI Petroleum has stakes in offshore Nigerian oilfields. He also owns a slice of MTN Nigeria, an arm of South Africa based mobile phone network MTN Group.
Source: www.forbes.com